Well, This is A Bit Awkward
by x.Hardys and Horcruxes.x
Summary: When Laura is introduced to the world of a WWE Diva, she had no idea the way her life was about to change. From fanboys to metaphoric dogs, her world is not the simple, easy man-free situation it once was. Jeff/OC/Edge Triangle-y goodness!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, I really hope you enjoy this. It's my first multi-chapter fic on here, and my first ever for WWE. Reviews would be nice, but I'm not going to beg... yet. **

**Chapter One: I love my job...**

Laura loved her job. She'd loved it from the day she was the coffee girl, and now with her ideas actually being used as storylines, she loved it even more. It wasn't every person who could say they were part of Creative in the WWE. Laura herself wasn't quite sure how she'd managed it. But she was glad she had.

Well, until now.

The day started off like any other. Coffee (brought by Laura's replacement Trent) and an agonizingly boring 'brainstorming session' for Wrestlemania 25 that pretty much went nowhere. The only thing they'd worked out so far was that the Hardy feud would not be resolved that evening, as well as John Cena winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge. It was then that the Draft was speculated about that Laura made her first suggestion.

"Both titles should go to Raw, it'll add a lot of suspense when Edge gets his rematch with Cena." At first the team seemed a little put off by the idea, but soon most were warming to it. Stephanie McMahon was of course all for it, as she'd be able to spend more time with her husband. Laura was practically floating on air after that point, as most of the older writers were usually against anything the brunette had to say. The meeting ended with everyone in much better spirits than when it began, and they all moved off to their respective offices.

"Very smooth, Benson." a voice from behind her said. It was her best friend in this place, the delightfully cynical Nathan Young. The two shared an office as well as an apartment, so it was no surprise when the dating rumours went round. After both established to the entire staff that their relationship was platonic at best, everyone backed off.

"Hey, just because they like the idea of another classic Cena vs. Edge match rather than your stale stipulation matches," she said with a smirk, opening the door to their cramped excuse for a two-person office.

"Whatever. Oh, by the way, Steph wants to see you in five. Let's hope the Golden Youngster isn't in any sort of trouble with the boss."

"I doubt it. She probably just wants me to babysit the kids backstage on Monday. New storyline starting with Legacy and all that."

That was, of course, not why Stephanie had called Laura to her office. All the other senior writers were there, all with equally impressed or amused looks on their faces. One even started looking Laura up and down, something that made her more wary than offended.

"Let's not mince words, I want you all back to working on Wrestlemania. Well, except for you Laura," tears sprung to the younger woman's eyes, wondering what on earth she had done to get fired "No, no! Don't think you've done something wrong, dear. As a matter of fact, you've done something very right. We've noticed the way you are around here. You're confident, charismatic, clever, and easy on the eyes. On behalf of my father and the entire WWE I'd like to offer you a contract as a Diva. You'll be in developmental for a while of course, but after that we'd like to use you in an upcoming rivalry as a valet. What do you think?"

Performing in front of an audience. Millions of people. Laura knew she'd get stage fright, but at the same time she knew there wasn't really an option. Stephanie, as easy as she was to work with, would never stop until she got her own way. So with trepidation she agreed and signed on the dotted line. She was no longer Laura Benson from WWE Creative. She was Laura Benson, WWE Diva.

Oh yes, she loved her job.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another day, another chapter. I'll be updating a lot for a few more days, then it's exam time. Don't expect much next week, that's all I'm saying.**

**This story is semi-inspired by Misery Business by AlwaysLove90, it's a really awesome story that you should all read (after this one, of course). Now, with no further rambling, here's:**

**Chapter 2: Being Seen Has It's Perks**

Two months into developmental and Laura could feel a massive change. Her once stick-thin frame had toned and she felt stronger and healthier than she had in years. Thinking like that made her feel older than her 25 years, but she couldn't help that it was true. With a day free of training she had been invited backstage at Backlash, and spent most of the night hiding in the shadows of Maria and Mickie James, both who'd been very helpful over the course of her training.

"Stop the timid mouse routine Loz, it's getting stale," Mickie murmured into her ear, earning a glare from the new Diva.

"I'm not being timid, I'm just... being selective."

"Well stop it. Ooh here comes the new World Heavyweight Champion, let's go say our congratulations," and without any further warning she grabbed Lauren's arm and dragged her to meet Edge, leaving Maria behind to worry over how John was handling his loss.

"Why hello Mickie, and who do we have here?" He asked, clearly still slightly in his 'Edge' persona, looking Laura up and down. This was something she realised she should get used to, but she wished she could've convinced Maria to make her outfit for the evening a little less revealing. As if the low black halter top wasn't enough, the short denim shorts made her want to find her nice little dark spot and just stay there forever.

"Adam, this is Laura. Laura, Adam. Anyways I better go find Maria before Cena works out a way to use her to forget about losing that title. Make sure Loz doesn't find her way back into the shadows," and she pranced away, her heels clicking each step towards Maria and John who were clearly making some sort of arrangement involving hotel keys.

"So Laura, let me guess. Supermodel turned Diva?"

"No, I worked in Creative for a few years before they decided my time would be better spent prancing around a ring with next to nothing on," she replied, clearly still against her new role in the company.

"Wow, beauty and brains." Adam seemed impressed, and Laura was enjoying the fact that she'd surprised him.

"Yep, as a matter of fact I single-handedly won you that title. Well, in a manner of speaking. It was my last big storyline idea before they threw me into all of this," she gestured around the building.

"Is that so? Well, I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you," his cocky attitude had fully returned, and Laura had to admit it was a bit of a turn-on. Before she could think she responded with her own brand of arrogance.

"So that means dinner, right now. And you're paying." She grinned and he merely shook his head, a wide smile barely concealed on his face.

"Give me five minutes, I'll shower and get dressed. I just had a match for Christ's sake."

"You take more than five and I'm going without you."

"Then how will I pay?"

"I'll send you the bill."

Six Minutes Later...

Adam had taken next to no time in getting showered and dressed, and soon the two were on their way out of the building. At first Mickie seemed apprehensive about letting the younger Diva out of her sight, but after Laura winked at her she grinned and gave her the thumbs up. Needing no further encouragement the two found the exit and a waiting taxi which took them to a fairly shabby-looking restaurant.

The food was good and the conversation filled with stupid jokes and lots of laughter. At one point Adam was approached by fans who'd just left Backlash. Though one was clearly a John Cena fan, his sister whispered that she was cheering for him all along. Adam whispered something back, to which she giggled and nodded. After the autographs and pictures were finished they were left in peace for the rest of their meal.

"So what exactly did you tell that girl to do?" Laura asked in between mouthfuls of ravioli.

"Oh, just to make sure she stands in front of her TV every time Cena's on and yell to her brother that he can't see him," he answered simply, as if he did it every day.

"Ah, of course." She said in her most professional-sounding voice, before succumbing to laughter.

The bill was paid and the two were walking back to the hotel in good spirits.

"So champ, what's the next challenge?"

"Re-match with Cena, of course. He wins it, but Punk has the briefcase, so the title ends up on Smackdown where I win it back. Then I think I get another feud with Jeff, which should be fun as the guy hates my guts."

"Really? Over the stuff with Matt?"

Adam nodded. "Matt got over it, but you know family. They always seem to hold grudges longer than the people involved. It's not like he's a jerk to me or anything, I can just tell."

"Like the time my sister broke my ex-boyfriend's nose after he stole my crayons," Adam looked at her like she was crazy "It was kindergarten. She was in first grade and towered over everyone. She punched him when he wouldn't give them back." That was all it took to get the laughter going again, and this time it didn't stop until they were outside the hotel.

Laura had enjoyed herself a lot, something she couldn't really remember doing with a man on a date before. In fact, she remembered her last date ended when the guy turned up drunk and immediately began feeling her up. Needless to say it had turned her off dating for a while. But here she was, on a date with a co-worker she'd only met that evening, and she'd loved every second of it.

Adam must have seen the dreamy smile on her face because he decided to wrap an arm around her shoulder. She moved towards him and gave him a simple peck on the cheek. He looked at her, surprised, before capturing her mouth with his.

Moments later the two said their goodbyes and made their way to their respective rooms. One thing was for sure, it was a night Laura wouldn't forget for a while.

Maybe this job wouldn't be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I suck with character description. So, in case you're wondering, Laura is about 5'7, mousy brown hair she used to keep short (Divas never have short hair) and bluey-green eyes. She's kinda on the petite side of things, but she's tough. And Nathan... well I think he's got longish black hair and really sweet blue eyes. He kinda reminds me of a puppy. Speaking of which... enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home**

The start of June heralded a new world for Laura. She'd completed her training right on time, and she was finally getting to go home. Not to mention the slow but steady relationship she was forming with Adam.

Florida was great and all, but nothing quite compared to her shabby little apartment near her old office. Especially since she hadn't seen Nathan since their post-Wrestlemania party, though they'd spoken on the phone nearly every day.

Turning the key and walking into the hallway sent waves of comfort and peace through her. This was home, and there was no chance she was leaving it any time soon. Flicking on the lights she found the place vacant. This was a little odd. Where on earth would Nathan be on a Monday night?

The answer was right behind her, swearing when he noticed she'd arrived before him.

"Damn it Benson, I thought your plane landed fifteen minutes ago. How'd you get here so quick?"

"My plane landed about forty-five minutes ago. I'm actually late, had to go pick up my shiny new laptop," she said as she gestured to the lumpy package already unloaded onto the kitchen counter. "Gotta keep up with my scripts and whatnot."

Nathan snorted, tossing the pile of Chinese food onto the counter. "Dude, look who you're living with. I could have you a copy in the blink of an eye." She shrugged him off, already giving in to the beauty of Garlic Chicken. She knew it was against her strict diet, but a walk to the gym would heal all that.

The two ate in companionable silence, savouring the company they both sorely missed. When plates were cleaned and abandoned in the sink, the second 'reunion ritual' would begin: the bestowing of presents.

"Nath, you didn't have to get me anything. You didn't go anywhere!" She laughed at the package he handed to her, which turned into hysterics when she read the cover of the book 'WWE Diva-hood for Dummies'. "They don't make these, do they?"

"No, but I found a place that'll make pretty much anything on the 'For Dummies' cover. I thought it looked neat, so I made one. The inside's pretty much a bunch of copy-and-paste from Wikipedia about different moves and junk. I lack creativity."

"It's brilliant. Want your present now?" He nodded a little too enthusiastically. Present time was Nathan's idea after all. He was a kid at heart in nearly every way, which was one of Laura's reasons for this particular present. She grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the apartment and straight into one Adam Copeland. Laura forgot all about the waiting present and jumped up at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and giving him a very enthusiastic greeting.

"Hey honey, just thought I'd see where you live. Were you going somewhere?"

Laura just snuggled in closer. "Nope. I'm not going anywhere."

"You telling me that my present is watching you and your boyfriend make out?" Nathan said with a grin. He knew she'd gotten him something a lot less... human.

"Oh right. Stay here Adam, I gotta go show Nath his present. I'll be right back," Giving him a peck on the cheek she grabbed Nathan's wrist and pulled him to the elevator, down five stories and out the door where they were met with a pleasant looking man and lots of barking.

"Oh my GOD you got me a puppy! You are the greatest human being alive. It's a freaking Cavalier! The BEST dog EVER! I love you so much Loz, you're the best." He gave his friend a brief hug before starting to play with his puppy. Lauren gave him one last look before going upstairs where she knew she'd find her waiting boyfriend. What she didn't expect was for him to be setting up her laptop.

"You know I'm perfectly adapt at installing programs," she said as she walked the length of the room, putting her arms around him.

"I know, but I couldn't wait. Word on the street is your first taste of the big time will be at Extreme Rules on Sunday. Let's have a look, shall we?" He began typing really quickly, and before she had any chance of keeping up they were already at her inbox.

"Reckon it's the one that says 'Here's your first part'?"

"Shut up, I was clicking it," and he did. They read, smiling at the part where Adam won the title off CM Punk. But that wasn't the end, because at that moment he would be ambushed by an anonymous masked person who would deliver a Twist of Fate. At first everyone would probably think it was Jeff, but when he turns up at the top of the ramp, the mystery is unsolved. With Edge lying on the ground Jeff makes his intentions clear: he wants the title. He hadn't been seen on TV since winning an 'I Quit' match at Backlash, so everyone needed to make room for the massive amount of cheering and screaming that would happen. Jeff explains that he needed to heal, as well as find a new partner, of sorts. And without further ado the masked man is revealed to be...

"Me." Laura breathed out, shocked by the entire idea.

"Oh, this shall be fun. Looks like you're Jeff's valet for his feud against me. This should be a good few months, huh?" Adam was grinning, but it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Hey Laura! Guess what I'm naming him? The same thing as every fish, turtle and mouse I've ever had," Nathan had entered the building, his puppy secured in his arm.

"Oh God no."

"Yep, I'm naming him after one half of the greatest tag-team of all time, and one of the greatest singles competitors of today. Laura, say hello to my puppy, Jeff Hardy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Meeting the Enigma**

"Don't you love it, Loz? Suits this little guy, I think I might get him the armbands..." He paid no mind to the two who were ignoring him, engrossed in their reading. That was until he came off his puppy-induced cloud and realised how childish he was being. "Uh guys, what are we looking at? Bet it's the new script, the one where you... oh." He looked from Adam to Laura, to his puppy and back.

"Thanks for warning me about that one, Nath. I tell you everything, couldn't you have told Steph that Adam and I were dating or something?"

"Tried it. She rambled on about her time against Paul and all that. Thinks you've got it easy, you're playing the Face character. At least you're not Heel, Loz. You suck at being evil, unlike certain others in the room," he tipped an imaginary hat in Adam's direction, who did his head waggle thing.

"Stress less about all this, babe. We're cool, Jeff's a decent guy and... oh cool, you get to wear face paint!" Adam was reading up on Laura's character, who was your basic valet: mimicked Jeff's moves, style and appearance.

"Have I got a name yet?"

"We'll be working on all that stuff at rehearsals, which we'll have Wednesday in New Orleans. I suggest you're there for the Smackdown taping tomorrow night though, I'll introduce you to everyone. We'll leave in the morning, assuming I can stay here tonight of course."

"Okay, but I'm warning you, I talk in my sleep," Laura replied absentmindedly. She'd only gotten home an hour ago, and she was leaving in the morning. She'd heard the girls complaining about the schedule, but it had never hit her until that moment. After Extreme Rules everything would go crazy. There'd be photo shoots, rehearsals, live events... somehow she was going to try and fit eating and sleeping in as well.

**

Lying in bed, Adam snoring next to her, Laura realised how different her life was becoming. She was physically at her best, and everything else seemed to be falling into place. Friends, love, life in general. So what if she had to sacrifice staying at home for her life goals? It would be worth it in the end, she knew that.

One other thing was on her mind, of course. She was anticipating her first meeting with Jeff Hardy. As if Nathan's near-shrine in his room to the man wasn't enough, she'd been following his career as long as she could remember. Her brothers used to tease her, cheering for HHH and The Rock while she supported 'that freaky Hardy kid'. They thought she just cheered for the 'hot' guys and was a typical wrestling fangirl, so the day she got a job in Creative was a big wake-up call for them. She'd have to email them in the morning, make sure they were watching on Sunday. No one in her family knew about her new role as a Diva.

But if she was dating Adam, and Jeff hated him... would he hate her too? That wouldn't really work out too well, not with the storyline. It'd be pretty unfair too. It wasn't her fault Adam's past wasn't squeaky clean. But he'd changed, she knew that.

Of course he'd changed. He'd never do that to her.

Needless to say she didn't get much sleep that night.

**

Grabbing her already packed suitcase and laptop, she didn't have any hands left for breakfast. Nathan put a piece of toast in her mouth and she grunted her thanks. He just grinned at her and pointed at the clock. She gasped: Adam said he would only wait in the cab until 10, and it was five past. She ran to the elevator, breathless and covered in crumbs. The blonde sight nearly had her drop her toast in relief.

"You idiot, of course I waited for you. Enjoying that?" Adam asked, gesturing to the butter-coated toast she was still half-chewing on. She nodded with as much sarcasm as she could muster, and he grabbed her suitcase and they went down to the cab and off to the airport.

Tuesday night tapings had gotten crazy since ECW had rejoined, but Laura and Adam were able to find everything pretty quickly. Adam was on first to cut a promo on his match with Punk, which was going to be announced as a TLC. He saw her off to the woman's locker room before making his way to wait for his cue.

"Hey Laura, come sit with us!" The always bubbly Maria had called her over to where she, Melina and one of the Bella twins were sitting. The three were already in their ring clothes and Melina was doing her stretches on the floor, naturally starting with the splits.

"Hi Maria, Mickie tell you to keep an eye on me?"

"Yup, and I'm sticking to those orders. Girls, meet Smackdown's newest Diva," She introduced each of them (it was Brie Bella) and they got to talking. Laura had to admit she was expecting vapid, self-obsessed clueless woman who had little to no interest in anything but themselves. Of course, she was pleasantly surprised to find them clever, funny and easy to get along with. Soon Adam was back and she felt slightly reluctant to leave her new friends.

"See ya tomorrow Loz? We'll keep you company during the title match carnage," Melina asked, grinning as she gave Laura a quick hug. They agreed to meet in Maria's hotel room before rehearsals to critique each other's outfits, and she waved goodbye.

"You made friends with some of the most stubborn Divas around here, you know that?" Adam said as he guided her to the men's locker room.

"Those guys? Never, they're so sweet and funny. Melina especially." Adam merely nodded his head and checked to make sure all the guys were decent.

"Gentlemen, meet Smackdown's newest Diva," Adam said proudly. _I've gotta get them to stop calling me that_, Laura thought with reluctant pride. She _was_ a Diva. A Diva good enough to take out a grown man.

Hands were shook, names learned and people Laura knew to avoid from now on. Some were too sleazy, some just plain rude. The worst of the lot was John Morrison who seemed to think that everyone in the world was in his debt. Others, like Chris Jericho and CM Punk seemed very nice, and Punk even complimented her shoes. They were the craziest assortment of colours, and she loved them for being the Converse imitations that they were. And at last she finally set her eyes on the man she was anxious to meet: Jeff Hardy.

"Oi Jeff, get over here and meet your new bitch! I mean partner, I'm only joking Lauren," she glared at Jericho, who just gave her a winning smile. Even being a jerk she couldn't hate that guy.

"Ah, so this is the girl who's getting me the title. Nice to meet you," he walked up to her and shook her hand, close enough for her to smell his very earthy but delicious scent.

"Laura Benson. Nice to meet you too Jeff, should be a lot of fun working together," she was trying not to stare, honestly. He was just so much more... amazing in real life. Not cute, or with the perfect body or anything like that. There was just something about him, something so very attractive. Reminding herself of her boyfriend, who was just next to her, she grabbed Adam's hand. That seemed to alleviate some of the feelings she was having, which was good enough for her.

Jeff noticed the joined hands but didn't comment on it. "Any idea on a ring name? The two of us need to decide, apparently, and soon."

"Not a clue, but if we both think long and hard overnight we're sure to have a good idea between us."

"Sure thing. Anyway I'm out of here, last night with Beth before everything gets all hectic again. Better make it worth it." he winked at Chris who snorted. Clearly the two of them got on pretty well. And with that he left, carefully avoiding eye contact with Adam. It was far too careful to be polite.

If she was going to feel like this every time she was around him, she'd better get a transfer.

**End A/N: I'm going to ask you guys for help. I have no idea for a ring name for Laura. Have an idea? Post a review, PM me or whatever. Next chapter will have her finally make her WWE debut, so I'd like to know by then. If no one has any ideas, it'll probably end up being Violet or something enigma-related. I'm lacking creativity. Also, did you notice I added Beth? That makes things a little more interesting, doesn't it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Like this story? Have an idea/request? Review it! The bit with Chris here is a way of continuing a mistake I made last chapter with Laura's name. This makes it a bit less... stupid of me. This is rated T for a reason too, and it starts a bit in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Too Many Twists of Fate**

The week flew by, and Laura (now with her stage name, Roxy Lee) was waiting backstage for the show to begin. During the last match she had to take the secret route to under the ring and wait until she heard Lillian announce Edge the winner. Then she would strike. Her outfit was strikingly similar to Jeff's usual ring attire: she wore the armbands and pants, though her shirt was less tight-fitting than his. Apparently the height difference wouldn't matter, as the crowd rarely noticed things like that.

"Hey Lauren, nice Jeff-isms." She turned to see Chris Jericho, his Intercontinental Championship on his shoulder.

"I told you, it's Laura," she said with as much seriousness as she could muster. He knew her name.

"I know," he said simply, sitting beside her and stealing her water. "Jeff wants you... something about hair." Laura looked at him, shock and horror on her face.

"Are you kidding me? I have to rainbow up my hair? As long as it's not purple, I'm cool with it, I guess."

"Good, 'cos I was thinking a nice green," Jeff walked up to them, grabbed Laura by the arm and pulled her into the nearest bathroom. "Sit, and let the artist create the masterpiece." She merely groaned and let him put whatever it was into her hair.

About an hour later and her hair was sporting bright green highlights. She had to admit that she didn't hate them as much as she thought she would. They made her look more rebellious than she'd ever felt.

"Looks pretty good Jeffro, let me know when you do normal colours," she teased, ruffling his blonde hair.

"You just wait, Benson. I get to do your face on Tuesday. Lots of purple maybe?"

"No! Anything but purple. I'll let you dye my skin pink before I let that colour touch me!" At this Jeff picked up his bottle of purple dye, waving it around threateningly. Laura screamed and twisted his arm around his back. The two wrestled around for a few minutes before being interrupted by a soft knocking noise. It Candy. The girl who practically kept the whole place running smoothly.

"Uh Mr. Hardy, Miss. Benson, you're on in five. Better get to the ring," With an authoritative glance at her clipboard and a click of her heels, she was gone.

"Time to shine, Roxy." Jeff said, and Laura couldn't reply. She had just turned a shade of green that nearly matched her hair. Unknown to both on them, there was a small streak of purple in amongst the green and brown.

5 Minutes later...

"Here is your winner, and new World Heavyweight Champion, Edge!" Laura could barely hear Lillian over the boos that echoed around the stadium. _If only they knew how sweet he was_, she thought sadly. She didn't like people being rude to Adam. Readjusting her helmet she went from under the ring, ran towards the barely standing figure of her boyfriend, and delivered a perfect Twist of Fate. The crowd erupted in cheers: they clearly thought it was Jeff. Then his music began to play, and the real Jeff Hardy stepped onto the ramp. The crowd, confused at first, nearly doubled the noise with deafening cheers. Laura could hear a distinct 'Hardy!' chant.

"Man does it feel good to be back!" Jeff said, the crowd roaring again. Once they had quieted again he started speaking."Now I'm guess you're all wondering where I've been? Well, as I'm sure you know, that isn't me in the ring. After Backlash I was hurt bad. I knew I needed some time to find my head. And that's not all I found. As much as I love being a singles wrestler, it doesn't stop me from wanting a person to back me up. I used to have Matt, but we saw how well that turned out," boos from the crowd "so I found a new ally, someone a whole lot different than my brother."

Slowly Laura took her helmet out. She could almost hear the crowd-wide gasp. She actually even heard one guy say 'But it's a girl!'. She grinned at the crowd before looking down at Adam, the man she was sure she was falling for, and gave him a look of utmost loathing, kicking his unconscious form. She ran up the ramp and to Jeff, who put an arm around her, raising one arm in victory. The two left for backstage, Jeff's music blaring as the program ended.

"Good work guys, that was a pretty epic moment," a voice behind said. Laura knew it sounded familiar, but couldn't place it.

"Not as epic as your Royal Rumble chairshot though, huh bro?" Jeff replied dryly, hugging his brother. _Of course it's Matt, the two sound so similar_, she mused as she walked over to meet the elder Hardy brother.

"So you're the girl that tamed Adam Copeland while kicking his ass. Can't say I'm not impressed," Matt had a warm smile, and Laura could see what Adam meant about family members holding grudges. Every time Adam was around Jeff would ignore him, and to a lesser extent her. It's just how he was.

A few minutes later in the locker room both Adam and Punk returned, pushing each other and joking around. Laura ran straight up to him and kissed him, hard. Ignoring the catcalls and whistles she pulled him from out of the room and didn't stop until they reached their car. They were both silent until they reached her hotel room. She was thankful that her roommate, Mickie, would be out celebrating her first Diva's Championship reign. She led Adam into her bedroom, pushed him onto the bed and straddled his lap.

"Woah, calm down there Loz," Adam said distractedly, as he was too busy watching Laura's hands, which were in the process of taking her shirt off. He did likewise with his and they paused, panting, unsure.

"You wanna do this?" Laura asked, the look in her eye near deadly.

"We're not going too fast?"

"Hell no, this is taking way too long."

**

Laura lay awake that night, the sleeping form of her boyfriend a beautiful sight. They'd made their first time together perfect. But something dark was lingering in her mind, something she didn't want to admit to herself. She knew she really liked Adam, probably even loved him. They were absolutely perfect in every way and tonight had only further proved this. But a part of her wanted to contradict all that.

A part of her wanted Jeff.

She'd spent most of the afternoon and evening with him, and she knew she'd had fun. The cruel, twisted side of her wanted her to believe she'd only slept with Adam to get the image of a laughing, carefree, very attractive Jeff Hardy from her mind.

The darkest parts of her wanted him beside her right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm supposed to be studying for exams, but instead I wrote this. Much more fun, in my opinion. Also I'm apologising for the strange amount of spelling errors and missed words in my last chapter. I didn't look over it, sorry! Also if you haven't heard the song I chose for Roxy's entrance, I recommend it. For all you Twilighters out there, it plays during the baseball scene.**

**Chapter 6: Roxy Takes Control**

Tuesday dawned brightly, and Laura and Adam were out of bed in an instant. Adam decided to shower, while Laura wanted to check on their scripts. Sure enough a new email with the attachment had arrived, courtesy of Nathan. He'd even already highlighted her parts for her. Her and Jeff got to do a backstage moment interrupted by Edge, as well as some talking in the ring. It looked like they were going with a romantic subplot, something which made Laura's stomach feel uneasy. Her and Adam had spent the entire day yesterday in the hotel room, and she'd managed to quell her dark thoughts and Jeff hadn't entered her mind.

"We doing anything cool tonight?" Adam asked from behind her, pouring them both a bowl of cereal.

"Jeff introduces me to the crowd, you come out and demand an explanation and all that. I tell you that he wants the title, blah blah blah. Teddy Long announces an number 1 contenders match between Jeff and Punk. Oh and we get to do a backstage thing too, where you interrupt an 'intimate moment' between Jeff and I,"

"Cool. Jeff wins?"

"Sure does. Wow, I don't even interfere! Guess he's coming back as the good guy," she was chewing on the flavourless cereal, her mind on a million things at once. The silence was halted with her cell phone ringing. The name flashed 'Candy', and Laura was confused to say the least.

"The car will be there to pick you up for the photoshoot in ten minutes. Inform Mr. Copeland that he's needed for backstage shooting at two. See you then," the dial tone sounded. Laura didn't say a word. Adam looked confused with her sudden sour mood.

"Photos." was all that needed to be said. He understood perfectly.

**

Her outfit was too tight, the shirt too low, everything felt wrong. Maria had apparently designed it, which explained a lot. Both the shirt and pants were black with red floral patterns, making her look more edgy and tough than she felt. Her armbands were red and white, and she felt a stark contrast between her colours and Jeff's usual purple.

She had to pose toughly, sweetly, sexily and anything in between. After half an hour she could feel the make up starting to melt under the bright lights. This was when Jeff was to join her. Rather than tease her or a friendly greeting as she expected, her merely grunted and began to pose. Some were alone, some with her. Whenever they would need to touch Jeff would do so very reluctantly, and Laura felt a little hurt by his sudden coldness towards her. Eventually the photographer had gotten enough shots and warned her that she'd be needed that Saturday for a Diva's summer shoot.

"Excited for the big comeback Jeff?" Laura asked nonchalantly, trying to get a response from him.

"Of course, I love the crowds," his eyes lit up, as though picturing the thousands screaming as he made his entrance. The instant it began it stopped, and he cut off again. Their walk to the waiting cab was in silence, and it wasn't until they were nearing the arena that Laura broke it.

"What's with you today? You seemed really chatty at Extreme Rules, and now you're basically ignoring me," she was pretty pissed about it, but Jeff had the audacity to look her in the eye with distaste.

"You slept with him, didn't you?" he asked, as though the answer may personally offend him.

"That's none of your business, Jeff. What Adam and I do is up to us," she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and she had to look away.

"He's bad news, Laura."

"Get over it. Sure he did something horrible to your brother, but that's all in the past. Matt's gotten over it, maybe you should too." She turned to glare at him, and was met by an equally annoyed face,

"Maybe I know what he's like. Maybe it's not just about Matt. Maybe you should listen to me and end it before he hurts you,"

"Maybe you should shut your mouth and mind your own damn business," and without waiting for a reply she stormed off to find her boyfriend, leaving a slightly stunned-looking Hardy behind.

**

The Smackdown theme played, JR and Cole welcoming everyone after an insane week in the WWE. Jeff's theme plays. And of course the crowd goes nuts. JR comments on how in his absence the rock-star like entrance had only built up and was expressed in this arena. Jeff grabs a mic and waits for the crowd to settle down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the woman who single-handedly took out the World Champion, Roxy Lee," Roxy's music, 'Supermassive Black Hole' by Muse, plays and she walks into the arena. The crowds reactions are mixed, she _was_ the newcomer after all. She reaches the ring and borrows Jeff's mic.

"Thanks for that Jeff. I suppose you're all wondering why I took Edge out last Sunday? It's simple: we needed to make an impact. Jeff and I have one thing in common in that we need to be taken seriously. Jeff wants the title, and I'm pretty much just after a good fight. So we've combined our interests and we made our statement. Sorry Edge, but you were just winning the wrong title at the wrong time. Wonder how the poor thing feels, being taken out by a girl?" she laughs, and Edge's music plays. He comes out looking angry, but neither Jeff or Roxy looks afraid. They're ambushed from behind by CM Punk, and while being distracted Edge spears Roxy. She lies unconscious while Punk delivers the GTS to Jeff. Edge looks down on them both, trash talking.

"You're not the only one with friends Hardy, you just remember that!" he hasn't got the mic, but the message rings clear. The crowd boo Edge and Punk as they make their way backstage.

**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Adam asked for the twentieth time.

"Yes, I'm better than okay. Now shut it," she moaned, wanting to slap him silly. He was worried that his spear had hurt her. Clearly he had no faith in her ability to take a move professionally.

"Hey it's not the first time you've speared her, huh Copeland?" Morrison said, getting a loud laugh from everyone in the locker room. Laura wanted to either melt into the wall or punch Morrison's pretty face, whichever stopped her from feeling so embarrassed. The laughing soon died when the TV they had was showing their prerecorded shoot.

Jeff and Roxy were angry about being attacked from behind. They were cooling down in the locker room, Jeff looking concerned for his partner.

"You took a bad spear out there Rox, are you sure you're okay?"

"Nothing hurt but my ego. Make Punk pay tonight in your match, and get the gold from Edge at The Great American Bash. We celebrate, and you beat all your challengers. Simple," she moved in closer to him, and he smiled down at her.

"Speaking of celebrating..." He leans in closer, almost kissing but they are interrupted by CM Punk.

"Enjoy everything while it lasts, there won't be any celebrating tonight when I become the number 1 contender," he smirked at them, every part the heel.

"Go pick on someone your own species, Punk. I think there's a zoo down the road," Roxy taunted, staring him down.

"You better hope your girlfriend keeps her mouth shut, Hardy, or I'll shut it for her." And with that he walked out and the segment ended.

Applause erupted all around Laura. Nearly every member of the locker room approved of her skills in this scene, though Morrison was trying to ignore the fact. Punk was laughing at the zoo comment, amazed at how a tiny girl with a cheesy line could be so intimidating. Adam wrapped his arm around her, muttering words of encouragement in her ear. She giggled at a few of his statements and settled into his lap, occasionally kissing him. Their display of affection was cut short by a quiet, annoyed coughing sound. Laura looked up to see Jeff, face paint in hand.

"Seeya after, baby," she whispered in Adam's ear before giving him one soft, lingering kiss and leaving his lap and followed Jeff into a nearby bathroom. It was the same as the time he dyed her hair, only with red and black face paint. The design he chose, black and mask-like around her eyes, contained a swirly red pattern which complimented her outfit. In the ten minutes it took him to paint the both of them (they were rushing) he never spoke a word. Clearly the ride over here was still on his mind, despite their closeness on-screen.

"Don't hate me Jeff," Laura finally said, breaking the silence and tension in four short words. Jeff smiled ruefully.

"I don't hate you. Hell, I don't even hate _him_. But I know what he does, I've seen him do it. Leopards and spots and all that, Laura. I just don't want to see you get hurt," he seemed so concerned, Laura nearly found herself believing his words. But Adam's face, so sweet and caring came crashing into her mind, and she knew he was wrong.

"I'm a big girl, I'll make my own choices. Now let's get out there before we have Candy after us."

**

"Here is your winner, Jeff Hardy!" Naturally the audience was electric, and Roxy ran into the ring, hugging Jeff and raising his hand. Punk had crawled from the ring and she found herself ready to speak, mic in hand.

"Let that be a warning to the entire locker room. As soon as Jeff wins the title, you'll all be after him. And you'll all fail. We'll see you at The Great American Bash, Edge."

JR comments on Roxy's ominous, threatening words, and the show closes. Jeff hangs around to pose for pictures, but Laura stays behind, unsure. However she hears the crowd chanting her name, and Roxy is back. Her and Jeff strike some poses then walk backstage. Adam pulls Laura away from the group and the two leave. Their plane leaves in half an hour. Laura's getting to go home until Saturday when the Diva shoot was occurring.

Roxy was confident and clearly in love with Jeff. Laura was unsure of almost everything in her life, and knew she was taking Jeff's words about Adam too seriously.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter was originally going to be probably the shortest of the lot, but then fangirls entered the mix so it ended up a bit longer. I don't own anyone but Laura, Nathan and Jeff Hardy (the puppy, not the person. Do you honestly thing if I owned Jeff Hardy I'd be posting this instead of... well, I'll let you use your imagination) Also, beware a lot of Jeff Hardy the puppy moments in this, it was too fun to stop.**

**Chapter 7: Nathan's Hot Date**

Taking Nathan to meet the Divas probably wasn't the brightest idea Laura ever had. But he had the weekend off and begged and pleaded to come with her. Reluctantly she agreed, but only if he was on his best behaviour and kept Jeff Hardy the puppy at home. So it was a frustrating surprise when the plane landed and she heard barking coming from the direction of Nathan's luggage.

"How the hell did you hide him from me?" She asked, half amused, half pissed.

"Easy. While you were asleep I drove to the airport and dropped him off, then came back. We can't have the little enigma at home alone all weekend," he grabbed the dog cage and his backpack and made his way to the exit as though nothing unexpected had occurred.

**

The photoshoot was taking place on a deserted beach. Laura was the second Diva after Mickie to arrive. None of them, according to Mickie, ever arrived on time. The two caught up on recent news and gossip while Nathan looked on, Jeff Hardy in his arms. Every few seconds Mickie would avert her eyes to him before paying full attention to Laura. A sudden, crazy idea struck the new Diva.

"Hey, I better go get makeup and clothes and all that. Mickie, you couldn't keep an eye on Nathan for a second? I don't want him running away or drowning or anything," she grinned at her best friend, teasing.

"I'm not a lost dog, Loz," he said, blushing as he looked at the beautiful Mickie James, who looked equally as shy and awkward. At the mention of dogs however, Mickie lit up.

"I love dogs," she said brightly, before realising the meaning of her words. "I mean, the dog you have, King Charles Cavalier, right?"

"Yeah, they're my favourites," Nathan replied, equally as enthusiastic. Laura left the two, laughing silently to herself.

The smile was wiped from her face, however, when she saw the outfit they expected her to wear. It was one of the smallest bikinis she'd ever seen in her life. It was red and black (of course) and left very little to the imagination. After a small pleading session with the stylist, who promised that some of the other pictures would involve more clothing, she agreed. The 'more clothing' was the shortest pair of denim shorts she'd seen in her life. Sighing in resignation, she knew there'd be a lot of moments in this business when her clothes wouldn't be something she ever chose herself. So she left to get changed, noticing in the corner of her eye Nathan and Mickie laughing and playing with Jeff Hardy.

"Far out Benson, haven't you heard of clothes?" Nathan said a few minutes later as Laura stepped out of the changing room.

"You think this is bad, Young, wait until Mickie comes out. You like yellow right?" But Nathan wasn't paying attention: his eyes were staring off at the very girl in the yellow bikini. Mickie noticed his stare and waved before doing something unexpected. She winked. Nathan's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and the look on his face made both Mickie and Laura laugh. Jeff Hardy barked and ran to Mickie, who picked him up and cuddled him. Nathan walked up to her and began talking again, though this time the conversation seemed to have Mickie both giggling and embarrassed.

Unfortunately the rest of the Divas were arriving and the photographer called Laura and Mickie over to get their shots done first, as they were ready. Mickie grabbed Nathan's phone and entered her number, in a move which clearly said 'call me'. It seemed to Laura like her best friend weekend extravaganza would be ended tonight with Nathan on his first date in almost a year. As good as it was to be matchmaker, it was also lonely.

Photos were taken on rocks, on the beach, in the water, anywhere they could get a good angle. Laura's particular favourite was the one with only the top of her head peeking out from under the water, but she doubted it would be used. There just wasn't enough sex appeal. Eventually all individual shots were taken, and once all the Divas had put 'more clothes' on they played a game of beach volleyball. The constant 'click, click' noise of the camera reminded them that this wasn't purely for entertainment, but they had fun nonetheless. The winning side consisted of Melina, Maryse and the Bella twins. Laura's team included Mickie, Maria and Beth Phoenix, and the pretty much sucked. It was still a lot of fun for all involved.

"So these will be up on by about Wednesday or so, and the best three will feature on the June/July/August part of our Diva calendar next year. Now go home girls!" the cheerful photographer said with a lot of waving around. Laura didn't need to be told twice: she ran to the nearest change room and put her knee-length shorts and green t-shirt back on. Nathan was waiting for her and they made their way to a local café, where he immediately got his phone out and started texting.

"Not messaging Mickie already, are you? I mean I know it's true love and everything, but give the girl five minutes to herself," she teased, but his reply was just a non-committal grunt. Laura ordered for the both of them as Nathan was too busy sending and receiving texts. She decided that if he complained about his salad she would shoot him. At a nearby pole Jeff Hardy was whining, unused to being ignored by his owner.

"You sure that's her?"

"I know it. Her hair's the same, she looks the same, it has to be,"

"Guess there's only one way to find out."

Two teenagers, a girl and a boy, walked over to their table. The boy seemed more reluctant to talk than the girl, who was sporting purple highlights in her pixie-cut hair. Unsurprisingly it was her that spoke first.

"Excuse me, but you're Roxy Lee, right?" She asked quickly, clearly afraid of being wrong. Laura, on the other hand, was very confused. This girl knew her stage name? But she'd only been on Smackdown once, was that normal?

"I am, yeah. How'd you know that?"

"Because I'm the biggest Jeff Hardy fan ever! You're really cool too, I love the whole attacking the guys thing, but Jeff's the best. What's he like? Really cool? I bet he is," she was talking a million miles a minute, not even taking a breath.

"Jeff's pretty awesome, a lot of fun to be around," _if you catch him at the right time_, she added bitterly to herself. This girl didn't need to know that her idol had split personalities.

"I told you so, Chris! He didn't believe that the two of you were together,"

"Oh, we're-"

"Is he a good kisser? He looks like a good kisser. You can tell me, I won't tell anyone."

"I've never kissed anyone like him," Laura answered quite truthfully. He was quite like himself, so she wasn't lying. This girls sugar-rush bubble didn't need to be burst. The boy behind her making a throat clearing sound, and she looked at him as though she'd forgotten he was there.

"Oh, this is Chris by the way. He likes you, but he's too shy to say it. I'm supposed to ask for your autograph too. Say hi to Roxy, Chris," the shy boy stepped forward, his face bright red.

"Hi," he whispered, half embarrassed, half in awe. _Wow, I made an impression_, Laura thought as she signed an autograph for Chris. She promised the girl, Lindsay, that if she ever saw her again she'd get her Jeff's. Before leaving Lindsay showed her the tattoo on her back: it was the Hardy logo, with Jeff's signature underneath. Nathan was impressed and showed her his Hardy symbol tattoo on his lower back. They got into a conversation about how amazing Jeff was, leaving Laura and Chris looking awkward. She smiled up at him, which brought on a new wave of shyness for the teenage boy.

"I'm Laura, by the way. Roxy's a lot different than me, I freak out in front of an audience. That's when she takes over. Kind of like a superhero I guess," she laughed softly, and brought a sweet smile to the boy's face.

"I wish I had one of those. Maybe I should call myself Eric the next time I get called up in front of the class,"

"You never know, do you? For all we know you could be in the WWE in four years time under the name Eric the Kid and I'd never recognise you. That's the power of the business." Chris looked thoughtful, but was pulled away by Lindsay to look at Jeff Hardy, who was running around the pole he was tied to.

Lunch arrived and was devoured in record time. Nathan was still unusually quiet, which made Laura think he was hiding something. He was a horrible lier, so his usual approach was just to not say anything. They paid and were walking back to the hotel when he suddenly stopped.

"I'll catch you later, I've got to go shopping for some quick things," he said evasively.

"Going on a date with Mickie and don't want to tell me? I'll be fine alone Nath, I always am." he didn't reply but just moved hurriedly the other way. She didn't understand why he didn't come back to the hotel to change, shower or make himself look presentable. She assumed their date would involve Jeff Hardy somehow, but Nathan had been sure to give her his leash. Her mind elsewhere, she found her way into the hotel and nearly screamed when she saw the man in her room.

"Surprise!" Adam said happily as Laura ran to him and properly greeted him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, no hint of accusation in her voice. This was the best thing that could've happened with Nathan out. Of all the luck...

"Nathan text me and told me he'd be out tonight, and that I should come entertain you," so maybe it wasn't just good luck. She definitely owed Nathan a very big favour. She hadn't seen Adam since he saw her off at the airport on Tuesday night, catching his own flight home. Instead of letting all her emotions take control however, she decided to tease him

"And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked, her tone light and conversational.

"Oh, I have my ways," was all he said before he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and made his way to her bedroom, Laura kicking and screaming in mock protest the whole way. Sitting on the couch in front of the TV, Jeff Hardy whimpered and howled, tired of being alone and forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay for another chapter! This is where things get interesting. No idea who to let Laura end up with, but there's a poll on my page thingo if you'd like to have a say. I have a feeling in the next few chapters one of the two will lose a lot of people from his fanbase.**

**Chapter 8: A Whole Lot of Misplaced Trust**

Smackdown's opening theme plays. JR and Todd Grisham welcome us all to another edition of Friday Night Smackdown. Edge's music blares out across the stadium, and he comes out to a lot of boos and general heat. He gets into the ring, microphone in hand.

"At The Great American Bash I will be facing Jeff Hardy for my World Heavyweight Championship," a big pop from the crowd. "But June 28th will not be Jeff's night. That night belongs to me. I am, and will be, your World Heavyweight Champion." Chants of 'Hardy' rip through the crowd. However CM Punk is the one who comes out, looking angry and getting booed.

"You know what Edge, you and I are in the same boat. We both want Hardy out of the picture. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's that reject with the gold," Edge looks at Punk, a bit angry.

"You think I'm going to let Hardy win?"

"Well, you did lose that title to him at Armageddon. And you needed his brother to help you get it back. So I'm thinking yeah, he's got pretty good odds." Slight cheers for Punk, with Edge looking like he's going to punch out the straight-edge superstar. Teddy Long's music plays.

"Hold on a minute players. It appears to me that you've both got some issues with the number 1 contender. As I was approached by Jeff and the lovely Roxy they gave me an idea. So it will be CM Punk and Edge in tag team action against Jeff Hardy, as well as his partner, Roxy Lee, in an inter-gender match right here tonight! Holla," he leaves the ramp, and Edge and Punk are in the ring, looking eager and cocky about their match.

**

Laura was not happy. Jeff was running late, citing bad traffic. Not to mention the fact that she had to wrestle in her first match against her boyfriend of all people! Not a nice warm-up match between herself and Melina or Maria, but a fully fledged adult male. She knew she was being built up as this alpha-female type who would fight whoever crossed her path, male or female, but it was still ridiculous. Roxy may have a death wish, but Laura sure didn't.

"Relax babe, you're the one who beats me up, remember?" Adam said, trying to stop his girlfriend's erratic pacing. He knew there was something else that was bothering her, but he couldn't work out what. "This isn't just about the match, huh?"

"The match I can handle, you know that. It's what I'm trained for. What I'm really freaking out about is... no, never mind," she turned away from him, only to have him spin her back around and hold her head in his hands.

"Tell me."

"I feel like this is going to come between us, Adam. Like every time I side with Jeff you're going to, I dunno, hold it against me or something. I know I sound stupid, I can't help it. I'm no Roxy Lee," she smiled halfheartedly, and Adam merely hugged her closely in response.

"I promise you everything we do with this storyline will be strictly professional. No using it as leverage in arguments, no accusing you of cheating on me with Jeff, nothing. Speak of the devil. Took you long enough to get here, Hardy."

"There's a reason I hate big cities, Adam. Can I borrow Laura for a sec? Gotta get her warpaint on," it was clear from Jeff's tone of voice that he was deeply amused by something. Laura reluctantly pulled away from Adam and walked with Jeff to their usual destination, a deserted bathroom.

Jeff spent a full ten minutes on her face alone, laughing to himself almost the whole time. Every time Laura would go to ask him what was so funny he'd tell her not to move, and laugh under his breath again. As soon as his 'masterpiece' was complete she had no choice but to punch him on the arm. Hard.

"Ouch Loz, what was that for?"

"Tell me what's funny, Jeff. You clearly seem to be enjoying it." She didn't like it when someone kept secrets from her, not after her brother accidentally killed her pet rabbit and told her it'd won an all-expenses trip to Hawaii. She was six, and thus believed him until her next birthday when she asked when Flossy was coming home. Jeff just laughed again and began his own face painting, taking a considerably shorter time on himself. Sporting a matching red and black to Laura he faced her, his joking mood still clear.

"Adam said something pretty funny, you know," he said conversationally. Laura couldn't remember anything particularly amusing in their last talk.

"Really? What?"

"He said he'd never accuse you of cheating on him with me," he answered calmly, applying finishing touches to Laura's drying face paint. Laura's entire body had the exact opposite effect. Her heart was pumping, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Why is that funny?" she asked, her voice betraying none of her erratic emotions.

"Because I can do this," he leaned in towards her, barely brushing her lips with his own. "And he'd be none the wiser." Though Laura was in shock, she found her voice fairly quickly.

"Don't Jeff. I love Adam,"

"Sure you do, but does he love you? The second he's out of your sight he'll sleep with the first little ringrat that crosses his path. I've known him for years Loz, it's what he does. It's not something I make a habit of," he crossed his arms defensively, and Laura let out a snort of laughter.

"What about Beth then Jeff?"

"She moved out two months ago," he replied sadly.

"Oh," she was taken aback. "Well whatever, I'm with Adam and I love him."

Jeff just smiled his little enigmatic smile. "Yeah, but you love me more." and for the second time that evening he kissed her, but this time was so unlike the first it made Laura's head spin. It was urgent, hard and passionate, unlike anything she had experienced with Adam. Reluctantly she returned the kiss. The two were so engrossed they failed to hear the telltale 'click click' of a camera, and a very excited looking John Morrison leave the scene.

**

"Here are your winners, Roxy Lee and Jeff Hardy!" After a hard-fought battle it had taken Jeff taking out Edge in order for Roxy to roll up Punk for the win. Both heel superstars looked embarrassed and angry. Roxy waved sarcastically at them, and Jeff raised her hand in victory. The two embraced and made their way up the ramp. As soon as they were backstage Jeff and Laura were greeted by Chris Jericho who wrapped her up in a hug. Far from awkward, Laura felt comforted by the man she easily considered her closest friend backstage who she wasn't in love with.

_Oh shit, I just admitted that I loved Jeff_, the innocent, easily confused side of her thought.

_Well duh, I mean come on Laura, he's been your hero since you were sixteen. He's practically the reason you submitted your work into Creative_, the more rational, adult side of her reasoned.

_But..._

"Hey baby, I've gotta take off for a few days. My mom's getting worried about those 'crazy wrestling hours'. I'll call you when I get there, okay?" Laura barely heard Adam as she hugged and kissed him goodbye. Nor did she fully register being steered away until she was seated in the taxi in between Matt and Jeff.

"Welcome back from space Roxylicious," Matt said with a mischievous grin. She just rolled her eyes at him and gave him the finger, which caused him to laugh loudly. Jeff was sitting quietly on her other side, headphones in his ears and a sketchbook on his lap. Occasionally he would scratch his nose with the pencil, but nothing had been drawn.

"So why exactly are we in a cab and where exactly are we going?" Laura asked the elder Hardy.

"I thought Jeff could use some time away from moping around his hotel room with those things in his ears, so I've brought you along to spread a little Hardy chaos on the world. He's been pretty down since he dumped Beth,"

"He dumped her? I thought it was the other way around," this was a new development on the story, and it was quite surprising.

"No, after... well, Jeff told me not to tell anyone. If he thinks it's right, he'll let you know. He's a good kid Laura, but Adam seems to really care about you. I know you'll make the right choice," He put an arm around her into an uncomfortable hug, but Laura was grateful regardless.

"I don't know how you know about all this, but thanks Matt."

"You're welcome. And as he's my brother, I'm cheering fully for Jeff."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for a while. I was going to end it differently, but I enjoy it this way. I hope you all like it, and maybe review? I think I might give every 10th reviewer a chance to give me some kind of plot twist. That way it's fun and my ideas don't go stale! Yay!**

**Chapter 9: No Mistakes**

The morning after was met by a throbbing headache and an odd warmth on Laura's side. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she was mortified to find out that warmth was a body. Jeff's body, to be precise. Trying her best to remember last night was in vain, seeing only blurred pictures and hearing muffled voices. Next to her Jeff mumbled in his sleep, letting out a soft groan when he woke up. Sitting up in the same position as her, he squeaked and pulled the sheets up to hide his naked torso when he realised he had company. Laura rolled her eyes at the gesture.

"Honestly Jeff, you do wrestle shirtless sometimes," she said, her voice cracking.

"Yeah, but not like this. We didn't... you know, did we?" The fact that he had little to no idea what had happened last night made Laura feel better, but only just. Who knew what they'd gotten up to in their drunken haze?

"You didn't have sex, don't worry," a voice from the door said. Matt entered the room, a plate of toast and tablets in his hands, "You both had too much to drink last night so I postponed our flight until this afternoon. Speaking of which, it's one o' clock, get up and moving. Our plane leaves at three! I'll be on that flight, with our without my little brother and the world's best table dancer," he winked and left them alone with the food and each other.

"Table dancing? Do I even want to know?" Laura asked, grabbing some toast and a tablet, not that it'd help.

"I know I do," and without further warning he jumped on her, knocking their breakfast aside and pinning her arms to her side, his face inches from hers.

"Get off me!" she yelled in protest, trying to loosen his grip in order to hit him.

"Only when you really want me to," he said in reply, the now-familiar enigmatic smile gracing his lips. Laura panicked, and in that split-second between thought and action she remembered what to do in a situation like this. She kneed him right between his legs. He let go immediately and she stood and made her way to the bathroom.

"I swear to God Jeffrey if you ever touch me again there's not even going to be anything there for me to kick. Got it?" Jeff whimpered incomprehensibly and Laura went into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. As usual, part of her felt right in her actions, but a much larger portion wanted to go out there and finish what he'd begun. Instead she chose not to listen to either side, picking out some clean clothes from her bag (conveniently placed in the bathroom: she'd have to thank Matt later) and washed away all the hurt and confusion.

**

Her apartment was deserted. After arriving home last night Nathan had informed her that she would need to amuse herself for a few hours as he was going on another romantic, whirlwind date with Mickie. Their first had been so much fun they'd spent the whole day after together, and made arrangements for an afternoon ice-skating session followed by dinner. As Adam was visiting his mother's and both Maria and Chris had plans (probably not together. She was almost positive Maria's involved John Cena) she was home alone. Well, not exactly. Jeff Hardy was there too.

He was howling to go out, but Laura couldn't find the strength to move from her comfortable armchair, watching some overrated movie with the lead actress dying of some incurable illness.

"If she was really dying, she wouldn't look so attractive," she told Jeff Hardy, who barked in response. He always agreed with her, especially when he got fed out of it. She indulged in popcorn, chocolate, even some chocolate-coated popcorn she found. The movie finally ended, with the love interest finding a cure at the heroine's deathbed and a wedding 5 months later. All enough to make a girl like Laura want to throw up. Things like that didn't happen in real life. She was about to take Jeff Hardy for a walk when she heard her phone ringing. Checking the caller id, 'Jeff', she let it go to voicemail. She hadn't spoken to him since the incident in the hotel, even politely requesting she swap seats with Matt in order to avoid sitting next to him.

But Jeff didn't give up easily.

Laura returned to her apartment with a tired puppy and seven missed calls. Her split personalities reared their heads again, one for throwing the phone in the bin, the other to ring and find out what was going on. The phone flashed again, this time a text. Even though it was from Jeff, she chose to read it. Better than hearing his voice.

_Need 2 speak 2 u. Urgent. Meet me park in 10. Srry bout what happened._

_J._

Rather than dash out the instant she was called, she sent back a basic response 'why?'. The reply came back almost immediately. Knowing Jeff's hatred of technology, this must have been important.

_Adam._

What about Adam she had no idea, but rather than have him find her apartment (odds are he'd ring Candy, who wouldn't hesitate in giving out personal information) she decided to meet him at the park down the road. She knew which one he meant, it was the only one for miles.

Sure enough he was there waiting, hands in pockets and blonde hair in a ponytail, shining in the last rays of the day's summer sun. The second he saw her, his calm exterior turned to a look of pain, fitting the description for the bearer of bad news.

"What's up, Jeff?" Laura asked, wondering what on earth could make him look so stung.

"The usual. You know I wouldn't lie to you, right?" He was nervous about something, which was unlike him. Talking in interviews, sure, but never with her.

"I think it would depend on if the situation benefited you or not," she answered truthfully. There wasn't any point in lying to him anyway.

"Trust me, you'll hate me after this. Matt told me not to tell you, but I know you'd want to hear it, even if you don't believe me and hate my guts."

"Spit it out, Hardy."

"We were leaving the airport, and I saw someone who looked like Adam about to board a flight. But I figured it wasn't him because the guy was with some short redhead. Matt decided to check it out. Turns out it was Adam, and the mystery woman's name was Kyra or something. Looked no older than twenty or something, kept referring to him as 'Edge'. A ringrat if I ever saw one,"

"What's that supposed to prove? That Adam's having some sordid affair with a girl you saw him talking to?" She laughed slightly, not even slightly amused.

"We didn't just see them talking. They were very public about their umm... affection. I tried not to look, but it was hard not to see. It was practically foreplay in a public building! Right now as we speak they're at some seedy hotel in Florida fucking, I know it!" His words had brought Laura to tears, and there was nothing Jeff could do but hold her, stroking her hair as she sobbed. Finally she had composed herself, and pushed gently away from him. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she looked strong and composed.

"I don't believe you. You just want a reason for me to break up with Adam! I don't get you, breaking us up won't have me running into your arms," Jeff begged to differ, but instead he produced a video tape. A surveillance tape.

"I didn't think you'd believe me, so I brought evidence. The guy at security was a big fan, it wasn't hard to feed him a few lies about needing the tape for the next Smackdown. Watch it or not, I don't care. Just don't hate me, okay?" he handed her the tape, which she took without thinking, and kissed her forehead. He turned from her, walking to the waiting car where Laura could see Matt in the driver's seat.

She walked home quickly, eager to avoid the nighttime in the busy city. She didn't run to the TV, or even look at the tape at first. It was thrown on the chair, the same chair she found so comfortable and boring just an hour ago. The chair that was now burning with secrets she was unwilling yet thirsting to find out. After calming herself down with a drink of water and feeding the dog, she turned to the offensive tape. It was exactly how Jeff had described it. Adam, so unmistakable with his long golden hair and trademark t-shirt and jeans. The girl, pretty and petite and obviously lusting after him. Both of them, so closely connected it was hard to focus on them as individuals. Without consciously thinking her phone was in her hand, dialing a number she'd never used before.

"Jeff, I need you. Now."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: A very fun chapter to write. I'm usually good with angst but not with sex scenes, and this is a combination of the two. I use the f-word in this chapter too, I forgot to warn about that before. And, as usual, I enjoy my Jeff Hardy puns. Hope you guys like this!**

**Chapter 10: Perfection and Pain**

She was standing in her apartment, eyes glued to the door. The second there was a knock she opened it, relieved that he'd listened. Green met blue-green as they stared at each other, the intensity blazing. Neither one knew who moved first, nor do they quite remember how they ended up in Laura's bedroom, but they both would have that night burned into their memories for the rest of their lives.

It wasn't until she was devoid of all clothes but her underwear that Laura realised she was going to sleep with Jeff. The thought appeared to have just crossed the mind of the breathless Hardy as well, as he looked down at her with questioning eyes. He kissed her again slowly, bringing her towards him and feeling her curves connect with his bare torso.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, hoping the answer was yes. Though he knew he could stop if she wanted to, it seemed like a very undesirable option.

Laura didn't reply. She merely unbuckled his belt and threw it across the room, and began to work the zip of his pants.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he said with a genuine smile at the woman he thought he'd broken that evening.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

**

The bright and happy morning was too much for a person like Laura, who loved sleeping in, to bear. Instead of trying to get another few hours of sleep in, she chose instead to watch the man sleeping peacefully beside her. During his waking hours he seemed much more tense, burdens from a busy schedule and a recent breakup weighing down on all his features. He was so relaxed, so happy-looking, that she couldn't wake him. It would be unfair. Instead she reacted to the sound of an opening door, pulling on a shirt and underwear to see who it was.

Though she was almost positive it was him, she was relieved to see that Nathan had spent the entire night out, presumably with Mickie. His clothes were creased and his hair unruly.

"Looks like someone's enjoyed themselves," she said with a near-maternal happiness. In a lot of ways she was the parent in her and Nathan's relationship, though any nights out together often ended with him nursing her through a hangover. Nathan grinned and gave her the thumbs up. The two moved into the kitchen to make some sort of brunch.

"Things with Mickie went... amazingly. Sex on the third date isn't too fast, right?" this revelation explained his early morning brightness, much in the same way it explained Laura's light mood after a dark evening.

"Nah, 'course not. Hey Nath, I need to talk to you about something..." but her friend had completely tuned out, instead staring with wide-eyed shock at something behind her. Laura turned to see Jeff, clad in pants and his hair a mess. It was only then that she realised she was wearing his shirt. Raking her eyes over what she believed to be a very attractive body, she turned back to Nathan, an apology on the tip of her tongue.

"Guessing something went wrong between you and Adam?" She nodded. "Thought so, I never liked him much. Wasn't he the reason behind-"

"Matt and Amy," Jeff said with slight force behind his words. Nathan looked skeptical, but agreed.

"Yeah, that. We're all adults here Loz, you know I don't judge," he walked to look out the window, and froze. "Only you better have a shower and hide the Hardy, Adam's here and you both reek of sex." with those words he fled to his room, a glimpse of a Jeff Hardy poster seen by the two remaining in the kitchen. They knew they only had moments, and Jeff knew that Laura didn't want to come off as the cheater in the relationship. So he ran towards Nathan's room, knowing Adam would never look there. Laura stopped him and took his shirt off, handing it back to him. He eyed her naked torso appreciatively, licking his lips, but he was shooed away.

Nathan ran out of his room at about the time Laura got into the shower. He had brushed his hair and changed his shirt. He waited until he heard the knock, and opened the door to find what he assumed was still Laura's boyfriend in a sense.

"Hey Nath, is Laura around?" Adam asked, peeping around the shorter man in case she was behind him or something.

"Sorry Adam, she just hit the shower," Nathan replied in an equally polite voice. Adam's interest rose considerably.

"Reckon she'd mind if I joined her?" he asked with a slight growl. From Nathan's room came an angry sounding noise. Adam just assumed it was Jeff Hardy. The dog had never seemed to warm to him.

"I wouldn't if I were you. It's... you know," he said the final bit as a whisper, as though afraid of being overheard. When Adam looked nonplussed he elaborated "That time of the month." Jeff muffled a laugh from his hiding place, turning into a believable whimper.

"Oh, okay. I'll wait out here then. And if I were you I'd take Jeff Hardy for a walk, the little thing doesn't sound too happy there in your room."

**

Laura stepped into the lounge room where she found Adam waiting. Rather than panic and confess to her unfaithfulness she played the part of unaware, innocent girlfriend. She kissed him chastely on the lips, something he seemed eager to continue.

_What's wrong Adam? Didn't your little whore satisfy you?_

"I missed you," he said with ease. She wanted to say the same, but the words were caught in her throat. Instead she sat him down and they discussed Adam's trip to his mother's. He described the Florida heat in full detail, but facts about his mother were very few and far between.

"I hate to say goodbye, Adam," she lied with such conviction it scared her slightly "but I've gotta work. The gym awaits me, need to train for the match against Punk."

"But that's not for weeks, Loz. Stay with me. I can think of some rigorous exercise we could have right here," his innuendo lost its edge with the pleading surrounding it. After repeatedly apologising and making up excuses, she finally had him about to leave. A moment of inspiration caught her.

"If you miss me so much babe, watch this. It's my favourite movie. We should share interests, right?" Adam agreed and took the black video tape from her hands. After a farewell kiss he left, and the instant the door closed Jeff emerged from Nathan's room, a picture of anger and frustration.

"I hate that he just comes in here after what he's done and acts like it's completely normal! You should've heard the things he was going on about while you were in the shower, it makes me sick that-" but he was silenced when Laura tentatively pressed her lips to his. He responded with enthusiasm but pulled back after a moment. "You taste like him."

"I'm sorry Jeff, but you didn't expect me to just tell him everything right then and there. He's got the video, he'll know that I'm onto him in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah I know, but I just hate it. You deserve better," he pulled her close and began playing with her hair. She sighed in contentment.

"I thought I had better right here in front of me," she said quietly, not wanting to end the moment of comfort.

"You better believe it, beautiful." And with that he scooped her into his arms and carried her back into her room.

**

It was half an hour later when Laura's phone rang. She answered it, sleepy and very relaxed after the last thirty minute's activities.

"Hello?"

"You little bitch. Bet you thought I'd never find out?" It was Adam, and his tone of voice frightened her.

"What are you on about. I saw the video Adam!"

"Dated from yesterday. But I have in my hands photos from this Tuesday's taping. Photos of you and Hardy. Looking very close, aren't we?" Now his voice was really scaring her. She was shaking as she spoke next.

"He kissed me, Adam. I stopped him because I loved you. Because I didn't know about you and your little gang of ringrats!" she hissed, frightened and angry combined.

"All of this started because YOU WERE FUCKING JEFF HARDY! DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME LAURA!" This startled Jeff into consciousness, and he looked pissed. He took her phone and began yelling into it.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are, Copeland, but this girl was faithful to you until it became impossible," he paused, listening to his response. "Yeah, we did. What's your problem with it? I didn't even mention the string of girls I've seen you with all through May, or the girls you hit on when you're out of her sight." hearing all this made tears prick Laura's eyes, and Jeff put a comforting arm around her. He knew he'd made her upset, and mouthed the words 'sorry'. She shrugged it off and smiled weakly.

Something Adam had said had caused Jeff to go completely silent. He hung up on him, gave the phone back to Laura, and made to leave. No longer angry, he looked... ashamed. Fully dressed and about to leave, he turned to kiss her on her forehead again. Though she clung to him he reluctantly removed her, at the same time as the 'New Message' icon popped up on her phone. It was from Adam.

_Ask your little boyfriend why he kissed you. Enjoy your broken heart._

_Adam._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**: **Jeff Comes Clean**

**A/N: I could blame a million reasons for not getting this up ages ago, but I was just busy and didn't write. But here it is. Enjoy, this chapter gets a bit nuts!**

Jeff was standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his head hanging low. Despite the daunting text message Laura knew she needed to comfort this man. After wrapping a tentative arm around him he grabbed her tightly, mutter comforting words into her hair.

"What does he mean?" Laura asked shakily, aware that it was something that both saddened the man before her and made another very smug. She wasn't even sure if she actually wanted to hear the answer.

"When I broke up with Beth, it wasn't due to myself being at fault, or anything trivial that she'd done. She cheated on me."

"And this is related because..."

"She cheated on me... with Adam. I heard him bragging backstage about how he'd conquered all the Hardy girls or something. So I took some time off, went my own way. And when I came back-" Laura didn't need him to finish, she knew what was coming.

"You see Adam with some new tramp, and they look pretty happy. So you think to yourself, 'I could make him pretty miserable by seducing her'. Looks like you did pretty well with that, Jeff." She turned from him, not wanting to show any weakness by crying. She'd done enough of that already.

"That's how it started, but-"

"Let me guess. You have _feelings_ for me now, and want me to overlook all your past indiscretions and skip off merrily into the sunset? This isn't some B-Grade chick flick, this is my life. And I've had just about enough of it being fucked up by you and Adam. Go home, tell Matt how your little plan went perfectly. Do whatever the hell you want. I'll see you next week," Jeff opened his mouth but she was already locked in her bathroom, intent of staying there until she knew he was gone. Her arms around her knees she sat in the corner, crying her heart out only to be found and led into her living room. She recognised the voice but the words were strange to her. Like he was speaking another language. Time passed, and she slipped into unconsciousness, the soothing rubbing motions on her back the only thing able to give her enough solace to sleep.

**

Three hours later she was unsurprised to wake up and find Nathan with his arm around her, snoring loudly. Rather than move she snuggled in closer, glad that her best friend would always be there for her whenever she needed him. He too soon woke up, and smiled at the look of tranquility on Laura's face. Whatever he was expecting, this wasn't it. Not that he was complaining, crying girls frightened him. Eventually the two stood up, aware that the moment was over and everything, while not okay, was going to get better.

The rest of the day was spent indulging in rich food and musicals, which were used frequently in the household as an instant spirit-lifter. Laura had missed about six calls from Jeff, but she knew answering them would be the stupidest idea imaginable. But it was when her phone flashed a different number that she answered, a bit wary that it could be either two who had made her feel so horrible.

"Hello?"

"Hey Laura, how you feelin'?" It was Matt. Apart from being surprised at him calling her she felt like yelling. Clearly he'd known what his brother had been up to.

"Can I help you?" She asked coldly.

"He's coming home in about ten minutes. What he did was the most disgusting thing I've ever known him to do. In case you hate me for this I wanna let you know that I had no idea about this until about five minutes ago when he rang and explained it to me. It was low, much lower than you deserve. But I think you should give him a chance. The guy probably loves you, Loz." She didn't doubt his honest sincerity, and felt slightly bad for snapping at him. However nothing he said about Jeff made any difference.

"You have to say that, you're his brother," and with that she unceremoniously hung up on him.

"You should let me answer your phone next time Loz," Nathan said kindly, seeing the distressed look reforming and hearing snippets of the conversation. She nodded mutely and gave him the phone, lost in her thoughts.

Jeff didn't love her, he used her. Then why did Matt's words make so much sense to her? Having known Jeff for a very limited time she couldn't be sure of his character, but he seemed decent enough. Funny, smart and kind to most of the people around him. Except Adam, but he clearly had a very good reason for that. Not that it was a good enough reason to mess around with her. Matt, being his brother, would know him better than her. But the sibling relationship often got in the way of rational thought. And hadn't she used Jeff as her own piece of revenge on Adam?

When the phone rang Nathan said about three words, all 'yep' or 'uhuh'. Eventually the person on the other side was finished and he turned to his friend.

"It wasn't either of them, was it?"

"Nah, just Matt. Message from Jeff which is actually from Steph: you guys have got a meeting about the storyline with Adam and Phil tomorrow, bright and early. Jeff offered to come pick you up but Matt told him no, so you're catching a cab, k? You just have to put up with him for an hour or so, and then we'll get ice-cream or take... the dog for a walk."

"Sure, it can't be that bad." Nathan's words had comforted her slightly, so the nervous anticipation had vanished. It was just an hour with Jeff and Stephanie, it couldn't be that bad.

Famous last words, of course.

**End A/N: A bit weird, but fun to write. I think I know who to pair her up with, so we're good I think. Any feedback is much appreciated. If you hate Laura, Jeff, Adam or even Nathan let me know. And in case I've never described Nathan he's tall, lanky, perfectly styled black hair and a pair of those blue eyes that look like you can dive into them. If you don't know what I mean, you're one of the normal ones. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm getting super slack with updates. Blame a hectic schedule mixed with poor planning. Hey, that's what we call my life! Weird how the day I felt my worst, after giving blood, is the day I finally get this chapter done. Worked out okay too. Enjoy!**

**PS. Jeff at Extreme Rules = Awesome. Stupid Punk.**

**Chapter 12: Her Space**

She was late for the meeting, early mornings not being her forte. So it wasn't until she'd shaken herself from the rushed apologies and embarrassment of being late that Laura noticed it wasn't just Stephanie and Jeff in the room. That would be too simple. Clearly Phil and Adam had to be there too.

She sat the closest to Stephanie, next to Punk. Both Jeff and Adam seemed to want her attention, but she ignored the both of them. They went through their matches quickly and decided on their finishes. This was an oddity itself as often the ending of a match wasn't decided until the day before, and they still had over two weeks. But being overly cautious mixed with Laura and Stephanie's need to put Roxy Lee over as a tough competitor meant that if anything went wrong, she'd look like just another female wrestler mixed up in a man's game. Meticulous over planning was the key to success in this case.

The second it was possible she raced out of the meeting and nearly ran into Nathan. He'd been waiting outside, chatting with Matt by the looks of it. The two said goodbye and made their way to a nearby park where an ice cream truck was currently making amazing business from a bunch of ten-year-olds and older kids. Laura was shocked to see two familiar faces in Lindsay the raging Hardy fan and Chris, who had a crush on Roxy Lee.

"Two double-choc chips please," she asked the old man in the van, who provided her with something that would make the other Divas (except maybe Melina, she had a thing for cheeseburgers) hang their heads in dietary shame.

"Oh hi Roxy- I mean Laura!"

"Hey, if it isn't the crazy Jeff fangirl. Aren't you a bit far from home?"

"We're up visiting my mom, she lives near here. Doesn't hurt that there's a Smackdown taping on Tuesday either. Have you seen Jeff lately?" _didn't take her long_, Laura thought with a laugh. Crazy obsession aside, the girl was pretty sweet.

"Just had a meeting with him about The Bash. Gonna be a few wicked matches on that card. Seeing as you're going to the taping, want a backstage tour?" The girl, almost never without words, stopped dead in her tracks. She nodded mutely, and Chris' eyes lit up.

"Good work Loz, you've gone and killed the poor girl," Nathan teased, licking part of her very drippy ice cream. She smacked him on the arm and he winced: she'd forgotten how lightly to playfully hit people who weren't professional wrestlers.

"I'll take that as a yes then? Give me your number and I'll get them arranged. Hell, I'll make sure Jeff sticks around long enough for as many photos as your heart desires." They swapped details and the two groups split from each other, one buzzing with excitement, the other quiet and speculative.

"You realise this means you have to talk to Jeff." Nathan said with a finality in his voice, as though accepting the inevitable.

"Duh Nath, I had to talk to him eventually. I'm just... being selective," Her words mirrored those spoken at Backlash several months ago, a time that felt more like a lifetime. The last time she'd been selective, she'd met Adam. And that didn't turn out the best...

They spent the morning as far away as possible from wrestling, until Nathan got the dreaded call from Creative: it was time to complete work on The Bash. Laura complained but Nathan knew he had no right to: he'd had nearly a week off and now it was time to get to work. This lead to a lonely and extraordinarily bored Diva home alone. Rather than work out or walk Jeff Hardy she chose to set up her laptop and check her personal emails. It had been a while, probably a day or two before her premiere at Extreme Rules. However she wasn't expecting the amount of junk that awaited her.

"Ten thousand emails..." She whispered to herself, partly in awe. Her average weekly email count was easily less than five, and here she was with an astronomical amount of new messages. Checking the inbox it put her mind at ease. Nearly every message was from Myspace. Nearly all friend requests, if the front page was anything to go by. She was completely and utterly terrified. Not technophobic, but not exactly the next Bill Gates, Laura found herself lost after going beyond what was necessary in day-to-day computing. And as for emails and social networking sites... they made her want to hide somewhere until they went out of fashion. But her sister wouldn't have that, insisting that she simply _had_ to have Myspace. If only she knew some well-meaning kids with some degree of time on their hands...

She'd dialed the number without thinking, and worked out the finer points of her plan with the more than helpful voice. In no time at all they had a new email address which would receive everything from her social networking sites (they'd made her a Twitter and Facebook as well for some reason) and promised to sort through her flood of emails to pick out any from people she knew.

"Lindsay, you are my hero. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,"

"Dude, you got us backstage passes! It's the least we could do. Everything should be sorted by later today, if we work fast enough. Chris is manning the emails, and I'll make you up a wicked layout... you'll have like twenty thousand more friends by the time I'm done."

"There's twenty thousand people on Myspace?" Laura asked, and Lindsay snorted.

"You're cute. Go out and have fun, we've got it covered,"

"No need to be patronising. But thanks, seeya!"

**

She didn't 'go out and have fun', but a trip to the gym was very rewarding. She could feel the ice cream melt off her as she ran, punched, lifted and stretched. The endorphins were running like crazy as she cooled down and wiped off excess sweat. It was gross, but she felt so good that it didn't bother her at all. She went home, showered, walked and fed Jeff Hardy before cooking an oddly healthy stir fry for her and Nathan (a recipe she'd learned off Maria, who was amazing in the kitchen). It was delicious, which was hard for a born-and-bred junk food junkie like Laura to comprehend. It was probably the Divas rubbing off on her.

Nathan arrived home late, about nine, and shoveled in the food, not bothering to see what it was. He seemed in good spirits however, and refused to tell Laura why.

"You'll find out soon enough, cupcake," he said with a condescending pat to her head.

"Cupcake? We have nicknames now?"

"Well, you sure do,"

"Oh fine then, uh... Noodles?"

"Noodles?"

"Yep, I like it. But seriously, what-" She was cut off by the buzzing of her phone. Repeatedly. She hadn't heard it before, but it sounded very 'you have a message here and it's been here for ages!'. This made sense as she'd left it at home for her walk and couldn't hear it over the cooking. Odds are it had been there since the gym. When she checked it she was slightly surprised to see two new messages. Both from men she'd pointedly avoided.

_Can we talk soon? I miss you like crazy._

_J._

The other was very similar.

_I'm sorry. Jerk of the year right here. Can we talk?_

_Adam._

This was simple, she could send them the same message.

_No. I need space. See you Tuesday._

_L._

It was time for space. Her space. She wasn't letting any aspect of her life fall to pieces again. It was time to do everything herself, and do it right.

They weren't messing with her space.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: My apologies for this taking so long. I'm assuming any original reviewers I had for this story are long gone, so I can only hope that someone finds it in their hearts to read this. Umm... I love you?**

**Remember, I don't own anything. The beautiful Beth Britt owns Jeff (yes, that's my way of apologising to her after making her evil in this story :D) and all characters I believe are owned by Vincent Kennedy McMahon.**

**Chapter 13: Laura Reloaded**

The Tuesday of the Smackdown taping found Laura waking with a smile on her face. It was the first time for a while that she had a great night's sleep, and it put into perspective how amazing her life was, and had the potential to be. She was a top WWE Diva in the prime of her life, it was time to go out and do something crazy. She walked out into the kitchen to find Nathan and Mickie all over each other, but she didn't mind one bit and said a cheery hello before deciding against sugary cereal for breakfast and making some nice oatmeal.

"Well good morning Miss Benson," Nathan said with a relieved smile. He wasn't used to morning-person Laura, but he knew it involved him getting yelled at less frequently.

"Hey Nath, Mickie... beautiful day, isn't it? The kind of day that makes you want to go out and taste the world." Laura span around in the kitchen a bit before catching onto herself and calming down enough to finish preparing her food. Mickie merely looked at her knowingly, wisdom of being on the earth five years longer than either of the roommates.

"I was wondering when you'd get to this stage in your post break-up schedule. You'll be doing something crazy today, I bet."

Laura nodded. "I really feel like it."

"When I had my last break-up, I got my little ankle tat as a way as distinguishing myself from what I was to who I am," Mickie explained solemnly, though the effect was a little ruined by her efforts to bend a spoon using only her mind. Nathan was clearly rubbing off on her.

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean," Nathan replied sagely. "I dyed my hair black after Sarah. She was the most horrible little wench I think I've ever known. And she hated you so much Loz... Loz? Hey Mick, where'd Laura go?" The apartment held only him and Mickie now. Even Laura's oatmeal had disappeared.

"She left after you mentioned hair. I think she's coming back as a different person, sweetheart."

"So... we're alone?"

"Yep. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"An epic domino's track all around the place?"

"See, this is why I love you."

**

On her way home from a productive day out, Laura stopped by at her local gym to sign up for the kickboxing class she saw advertised on her last visit. The man behind the counter looked at her oddly, but brought out the paper for her to sign. It was a standard release form, something she had to sign the say she started training.

"You sure you don't wanna start with the beginners course? A pretty little thing like you will get messed up in our intermediate course."

Laura simply smiled sweetly, about ten seconds from bench pressing this guy. He was about the size of Punk, and she could lift him in their matches. It wouldn't be that hard. But then she'd ruin her new look, and that wouldn't do at all. So she just put her new, flashy sunglasses on and continued on her way home.

The second she arrived home, she knew she'd done the right thing.

Mickie was staring at her with some kind of awe, and Nathan looked stunned as well. Her hair, usually unstyled and just a mid-length light brown colour was now a vibrant blonde, with a straight fringe. The hairdresser also had attended to her makeup, something she never bothered with unless she was having a match or backstage segment. Her nails were now perfectly covered in a pale pink colour, and her toes matched. The strangest part of all the new look however, was her dress. The first dress she had worn in over a year, a little summery number which seemed flirty and somewhat floaty. It was purple, Laura's former least favourite colour.

"Look who's crossed to the feminine side of the Force," Nathan said with a wink.

"Shut up Nathan, she looks wonderful." Mickie said with as much pride as a mother seeing her daughter on her wedding day.

"Well you guys got me thinking, and I've decided to try something totally new. I look different, I'm starting kickboxing... hell, I'm considering getting a tattoo!"

"I'm really glad you didn't, you have to leave in an hour if you're gonna make it to the arena on time. Good thing Matt volunteered to come and get you, I don't know how you get motivated alone." Mickie lectured half-heartedly. She was a mother hen at times and knew it, so she tried to be as nice as possible about it.

"Matt? As in Hardy? As in Matt Hardy?"

"Yes, that Matt."

"Okay, I can deal with that. Just one question for you Mickie."

"Yeah?"

"Can you show me how to walk in heels? I bought this really nice pair to wear out with the girls tonight and I don't want to fall over..."

**

About an hour later there was a knock at the door. Laura, having mastered walking in her stilettos, was now in a more comfortable pair of shoes and went to answer it. Matt stood there, his eyes widening at the blonde before him. Breathtaking, that was the word he used to himself.

"Uh hi, is Laura... oh, wait a minute. Um... are you ready?" He blushed, and Laura started to worry about what she had gotten herself into. Still, it was funny that he didn't recognise her at first. She hoped the younger Hardy would have this problem as well.

"Always... let's go."

Matt was unusually quiet on the ride over there, which made Laura think he was hiding something. Her theory was confirmed when he stopped with a good half a trip still to go.

"Forgive Jeff."

"I'm sorry Matt, I don't know what you mean." Laura replied with cool grace, added by the edgy look achieved by her sunglasses and hair. She looked completely aloof by the situation.

"Forgive him, go out somewhere together, date for a year, get married and have little insanely creative children together. He loves you, I think you love him, why do you have to let this stand in the way for happiness for the two of you?"

"Matt, you're being silly. Jeff is a colleague, nothing more. Just because we play a couple on TV doesn't mean we should be! Now please keep driving, we're going to be late."

Matt mumbled under his breath, something about 'peroxide to the brain', but nonetheless started driving again. The two arrived only ten minutes late their walk to the men's locker room was more of a jog. Once they arrived it was clear that no one recognised her, so she took off her sunglasses. It barely helped matters.

"Hey Hardy, who's the blonde?" Morrison called from over in a corner somewhere.

"Honestly John, you think you'd recognise someone who's relationship you ruined." Was Matt's simple reply. Morrison then realised his mistake, and Laura realised who took those pictures. Rather than act angry she decided to make her way to the women's room, and excused herself from Matt.

But of course, she had to run into one of her biggest problems. As in literally run into.

She fell in a heap on the ground, about ready to swear her head off at whoever knocked her over. Instead she was met by a friendly, familiar-feeling hand that lifted her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, um... oh. Hi Laura." Was the apology barely squeaked by Jeff when he recognised her. His eyes moved up and down her body, completely mystified and enthralled by what he saw.

"That's okay Jeff, I wasn't watching where I was going. I'll see you during the show, okay?" She walked purposefully with a perfect posture, making sure to swing her hips just that tiny bit more than usual. She was aware of him watching her every move, and she wanted him to know exactly what he was missing out on. This, she decided with a mischievous grin, was much more fun than just avoiding him.

"Oh and Jeff?" She turned to see that he was, as she assumed, still watching her, his mouth slightly agape. "It's okay if I let a few of my friends meet you tonight, right? They're really big fans" Jeff could only nod in response, not quite in control of his voice at the moment. Laura could hardly contain her mirth as she thought about what he would think of her outfit later on in the night.

_This isn't right, we're not supposed to want him to feel like this about us_, Was the chaste, always-serious Laura that she used to listen to on occasions.

_This is fun, we're having fun. Time to mess around instead of being messed_, replied that more dominant voice of fun and thrill-seeking that made her dye her hair and change her look.

_Yeah, you're right, let's hit him where it hurts_! For once, both sides of Laura Benson were in agreement.

**

Jeff was walking around the entrance to the ramp backstage, looking distressed and anxious. Every few moments he would turn to look at Roxy, then continue his pacing. Eventually he stopped, looked at her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I know what you're going out there to do, and I'm not going to let you. Are you crazy? We've got a plan, Roxy, it's a good plan! I don't want to be worrying about you when I've got a title to win!"

"Jeff, I have to do this. I won't be able to live with myself knowing that I had an opportunity to prove the world that I'm for real. This is my moment Jeff... you should trust me enough to know that I'm capable!"

"Look Rox, I just care about you too much. I want to protect you."

At this Roxy stepped away from him.

"I can protect myself. Watch me," She stepped out into the arena to the sound of her entrance music, the crowd screaming and applauding her, interested in what she was going to announce. Little did she know that in that crowd was an elderly woman amazed at what a young woman had achieved, or that there was a blogger from a famous wrestling website who heralded her as the breakout star of the year. She was the hometown girl, she forgot that people got a reception like this when they came home. She entered the ring, grabbed a mic and waited for the crowd to settle somewhat.

"Ah, home sweet home," She started, earning herself a huge pop. "You know, the last time I was in this arena I was out in the cheap seats, trying to borrow my brother's binoculars so I could see Jeff Hardy do a Swanton. It's been years, but this place never changes. That's why it's so different from the WWE. You see, in the WWE a guy can be the hero one minute, but they make one wrong move and they're the world's biggest jerk.

That's why I'm out here. I'm calling out the jerk, calling out CM Punk!" The crowd went a little crazy, but she continued. "You see, a lot of the guys back there don't take me seriously. Most of them, actually... you know what, I don't think any of them do! Even my supposed partner in crime doubts what I can do. So I'm thinking, 'hey, why not have a match with Punk? You're not busy that Sunday... it might as well be at The Bash'... So Punky, what do you say? Feel like taking on this poor little girl?"

A pause, then CM Punk's music hits. He walks to the ring, intensity on his face. The two meet eye to eye, or as close as they can given Punk's height advantage. He grins and nods, extending his hand to her. Reluctantly she takes it, and he puts her in the position for the GTS. She struggles out and shoves him, and they look at each other again. Roxy is about to strike when Punk falls from a chair shot from Jeff, who Roxy is none to pleased to see. The two argue and Jeff seems confused, as he assumed he came to her rescue. Roxy slaps him hard across the face, eliciting a groan from the audience. She storms off and Jeff tries to reach her.

**

"Damn Laura, that had some force behind it," Was the first thing she heard backstage, from the usually-jovial Chris Jericho. Laura grinned, unabashed.

"Made for good kayfabe though, right?" She asked breathlessly, making her way to where her stuff was, wanting a nice shower to get rid of the feelings that touching Jeff had sparked.

"Yeah, no one will accuse it of looking fake. You and Jeff kinda fell apart, huh?"

"Something like that." Was her simple response before closing the door on his face.

After the show Laura waited where the VIPs were being allowed in, finding Lindsay and Chris in all their merchandise. Lindsay with her armbands, necklace and 'Immune to Fear' t-shirt, and Chris with a 'Save Us' shirt that belonged to the Jericho range.

"What, had they run out of the Jeff bears Lindsay?" Laura asked to the dedicated Jeff fan. Lindsay grinned embarrassedly and pulled said bear out of a plastic bag. Chris laughed at her and grinned at Laura.

"Nice hair," He commented, much easier around her than before.

"Thanks, you like it?"

"Personally I prefer brunettes." He winked at her, and the two cracked up laughing. These kids were her and Nathan eight years ago, getting ready to graduate and join the WWE, or so they joked. But then, after college and earning their degrees, they actually did it. Laura liked to think that the same happy ending would occur for these two bright-eyed dreamers.

"So Laura... can we go see Jeff?"

"Keep your hair on, Linds... We'll go find him, he can babysit you while I get dressed." They walked around backstage before they found Jeff, already packed and dressed. He smiled sadly when he saw Laura, but that soon turned to amusement when he realised her present company.

"So Laura, who am I meeting this evening?"

"Well Jeff, we have here Lindsay and Chris. Make sure they don't go crazy all over the place, I need to go change."

"Why? You look great already," He said before noticing his implications and shutting his mouth.

"Girls night out, I bought an outfit specially for it and everything." Jeff nodded, pretending to understand women and she left.

It took her fifteen minutes but she returned to see Jeff and Chris having an in-depth discussion on naming a signature move.

"But you've gotta make it pop, you know man? Like it's gotta show who you are. Well it's about time, I was getting..." But he paused mid-sentence as he noticed the dress his former flame was wearing.

It was black, and it was short. A halter-neck with a plunging neckline on the front, and criss-crossed purple ribbon covered her bare back, holding the dress together somewhat. It was by no means modest and not what he ever expected her to wear. It was complimented by silver jewelry and glittering stilettos, and her hair was re-done and makeup applied expertly (by Maria, not that he needed to know that). To say that she was sexy was an understatement. She was beautiful, and Jeff felt as though he had screwed up royally when he was unable to call this amazing woman his own.

"Hope they didn't annoy you too much Jeff, but thanks so much for this. Lindsay, Chris, it was great seeing you again." She tried as hard as possible to ignore the shocked look in Chris' eyes, or the extremely impressed face of Lindsay. All she wanted to know was that Jeff was seeing her, really seeing her, and he wanted her much worse than she wanted him. Well, at least on the same level.

"Any time, Laura, any time."

Little did any of them know that behind a corner, one Adam 'Edge' Copeland had seen this all, had seen the transformation of his ex-girlfriend. He looked in his hand to see the note he'd gotten off John, who had it from Melina that it was the girls' destination. Tonight, he believed, everything would be made right once more. Laura would forget the name Jeff Hardy once and for all.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So apologies for taking so long, but I've finally finished my HSC and all that, so I've been writing a lot (non-WWE stuff). I also hope this chapter doesn't offend anyone or if i get the scenario completely wrong I'm sorry. I've never been in that situation so I don't know. This will probably be a weekly update, maybe twice weekly if my 30 Seconds to Mars muse hushes up. Also, buy This is War :D I'm done ranting, enjoy!**

**Chapter 14: Night Out or Nightmare?**

The Scarlet Horizon was known by nearly every member of WWE roster as an excellent place to unwind after a taping or house show. Despite looking less than appealing on the outside, the decor inside was rich and somewhat vibrant with the flashing lights and fluorescent colours lining the bar. This is where the Divas had chosen for their night on the town, where Adam was soon to be appearing after spending much longer in line than any provocatively dressed young woman. Unbeknown to either party, it was also the place where one Matthew Moore Hardy had decided to take his little brother in order to get his mind off the tangled mess his love life had become.

"This place is so, so, so awesome, man," Matt managed to splutter, already intoxicated due to several of the club's specialty, the notorious Scarlet Sunrise. It was deadly, and despite Jeff's warnings Matt had managed four before losing most of his senses.

"I mean look over there. Aren't those the hottest chicks you have ever seen in your life? Oh, and the blonde! I know you love your, you know, brown-hair ones, but wouldn't you just wanna grab her by the-"

"Matt! As much as I love you man, I'd really like you to shut up about Laura." Jeff's eyes had been glued to the blonde all night, the way she seemed to radiate in the lights, glowing with happiness and a slight alcoholic afterthought. Jeff led his brother to a table which both gave his brother somewhere to collapse onto as well as giving him a better view of Laura.

"Whoa, that's Loz... Damn she's smokin'! No wonder you nailed her... why the hell aren't you over there, man?" Matt was looking at him sideways, trying to figure it all out despite his brain feeling rather fuzzy.

"She doesn't want me to be, it's that simple. I screwed everything up so bad. If it wasn't for that scumbag Copeland-"

"You rang?" Adam was standing behind the two, attached to a brunette who looked no older than eighteen. He whispered something to her and she nodded, leaving him with a somewhat indecent kiss before making her way to dance.

"Nice to see you Adam, dating another six-year-old I see." Jeff all but snarled, wanting nothing more than to knock out the man before him. Adam just laughed it off and sat between the two brothers, toying with a beer he had in his hands.

"The younger the girl, the easier the hunt, my friend. You should try it, there's bound to be some emo wannabe teenager who wants to fuck the Charismatic Rainbow or whatever they're calling you these days,"

"No thanks, jailbait isn't my style."

"Yeah, you'd rather the blonde, coworker style, right? Well I just came over here to tell you that she's coming home with me."

Jeff snorted, "In your dreams."

"No, in hers. You see Hardy, I have spent more nights with her than you will in your entire existence. I've laid awake and heard her moan my name in her sleep. Something tells me that whenever she was with you, Jeff, she was thinking of me."

Jeff jumped to his feet, more than ready for a fight. Adam looked smug, still seated. Matt sensed tension between the two, and somehow knew it was up to him to regain peace at the once quiet table.

"Guys, stop it. Jeff, sit down or go get me a drink or something. Adam, kindly fuck off." Jeff chose the former option and sat down, while Adam left the two alone. Besides, he knew his place wasn't with the two Hardy's tonight. No, tonight was all about the conquest.

**

Despite only being there for an hour or so, Laura was tired of the club. Her feet ached from shoes she could barely walk in, let alone keep up with the dancing of the Smackdown girls. Melina had the rhythm and flexibility people would die for, and Eve and the Bella's were no slouches in those departments either. Maria was a bit more subtle with her movement, though it was graceful and very sexy, so naturally Laura kept this girl nearby. And if the pain and lack of rhythm weren't enoug, the stares from the guys in the room were.

Melina has explained earlier that night that wherever the group went, they got attention. They were attractive, athletic and in all ways alluring, not to mention somewhat famous. So far three girls and about five guys had recognised them, a few asking for autographs or photos. Eve went on to explain that now that Laura had a new look, it would hardly help matters.

"I mean look at you girl, you're no writer-turned-extreme wrestler in this bar. You're a hot blonde with a nice ass and a killer body. That doesn't really help with our strategy to somewhat blend in with all the cute girls in the room." She elaborated as they took a break to get something to drink. Putting it simply, Laura was a cheap drunk, so the limited amount of alcohol she had consumed mixed with this new drink was racing in her head and creating a new sense of euphoria and mind-numbing bliss. If something like a Scarlet Sunrise was painful to a seasoned veteran like Matt Hardy, it completely blew the mind of one Laura Benson.

"Can I buy you ladies a drink?" a familiar but distant voice asked. Eve squealed and hugged the man, and Laura turned to see Adam. She knew she was supposed to feel hatred and hurt at the man's presence, but she honestly couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she agreed, smiling politely and hoping they could at least be friends again.

**

Matt Hardy was watching the exchange with a small frown. Jeff had gone to the bathroom, and it was a good thing too. He didn't want his little brother to bear witness to this. But something was wrong here, it almost looked like...

No, it couldn't be. Matt knew Adam wouldn't stoop so low, not even under dire circumstances. Nonetheless he resolved to watch Laura for a while, keep an eye on her. But he would not tell Jeff. There was no need to worry him about something that was probably just a trick of the light.

**

Laura felt numb. Her feet were floating, her mind free, every part of her body was out of her control. She wasn't sure if this was good or bad, but at one point it felt like Adam's hands on her waist were the only thing stopping her from floating off and hitting the roof. He muttered something incomprehensible in her ear and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the door. This is the point where her eyes lost focus, and the night itself became a total blank for her.

**

Having been distracted by fans wanting photos for a few moments, it had taken Jeff a while to notice the two dancing. Matt hadn't taken his eyes off them, doing what he considered his duty to his friend and somewhat of a little sister to him. He heard the visible groan of contempt and anger coming from his left however, and put a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders.

"They're just dancing, and guessing from our last night out Loz is a cheap drunk. She probably doesn't even know it's him," He still hid what he thought he saw from Jeff, lest he do something rash. Of course then he was able to see most of Laura's face as the couple made their way to the exit. She looked dazed, not herself, and it didn't look like it had been just alcohol. It was no trick of the light, he had certainly seen Adam put something in her drink. "That disgusting son of a bitch." He nearly spat.

"No, she's not leaving with him, is she?"

"I think he drugged her, bro. Actually, I'm sure of it. I saw it but wasn't sure, and I didn't want to freak you-" but it was of no use, as the younger Hardy had already started running to the door they had just left.

When he found himself outside, he almost laughed with how fitting it was. Too afraid of security guards, Adam had taken her out the side exit, the one near a somewhat dark alleyway. Too perfect for a rapist. He could hear Laura's faint argument from where he stood, which told him they were close.

"No... Adam... I'm sleepy..." She mumbled, still with enough in her to feebly swat at his hands that were attempting to untie the ribbons on her back.

"Hush baby, you'll love it," Adam replied soothingly. So intent on his intentions, he didn't notice Jeff until he turned him around and punched him in the stomach.

Jeff knew he had to be quick, as Adam had the height and weight advantage. One punch to the head, a few kicks to various parts of his body, and he managed to knock him out while only obtaining one grazed punch to his face. He'd have a black eye in the morning, but it was nothing compared to what the unconscious man would feel. Feeling somewhat compassionate he checked his former friend, and upon feeling satisfied that no permanent damage had been caused, he turned to the girl in front of him. Gently he pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he flagged down a cab. Asking no questions the cab driver sped off towards Laura's apartment, away from her attacker and former boyfriend.


End file.
